Hilo Hawaii is a town surrounded by water falls and tropical gardens with a mixture of Asian and Polynesian cultures. Hilo is renowned for its festivals, flowers, music, tropical rainy climate, and laid back lifestyle.

HiloLiving keeps track of events in Hilo Hawaii with resources and insights about moving to Hawaii, shipping cars and belongings to Hawaii, and renting and setting up a household in Hawaii.

If you want to know more about Hilo and other sites around the Big Island, check out our travel guide: Your Ideal Hawaii Island Vacation: A Guide for Visiting the Big Island of Hawaii. The guide includes over 150 places we love in Hilo and all around on the island, with directions and photographs (black and white) to describe them. We included our research on the legends and historical backgrounds about the sites.

Hilo Hawaii hosts the most renowned hula competition, Merrie Monarch Hula Festival, which draws hula lovers from around the world to Hilo during Easter week.

Hilo has year round festivals and pageantry such as the Royal Order of King Kamehameha celebration, the County Fair, the Hilo PowWow, Polynesian dance performances, and Hawaiian music festivals.

Downtown Hilo is lined with gift shops, clothing stores, restaurants, and treats like Hawaiian shave ice. Hilo's Farmers market is at the corner of Kamehameha and Mamo streets and the Bandstand in downtown Hilo is used for celebrations and performances. Parades through downtown Hilo celebrate holidays during the year.

Hilo Hawaii sits below Mauna Kea Volcano and above Hilo Bay. The Banyan Drive peninsula has Hilo's hotels, Liliuokalani Gardens, and is covered by a canopy of Banyan trees named for famous people. During the year Hilo Bay has Outrigger canoe races and cruise liners visit weekly.